Virtue-Signaling Gone Wild: Electric Car Drivers Average Higher Carbon Footprint Than Gas-Powered Drivers
Thermodynamics is a harsh mistress. Advocates for electric vehicles (EVs) are fond of claiming these vehicles are "emissions-free," although they're really not; they are simply moving the emissions elsewhere, as that electricity must be generated someplace. Generating electricity at a (likely) fossil-fueled power plant and then drawing it from the grid to charge the batteries of an electric vehicle adds a step between generation and motivation that is cut out when one simply uses fossil fuels to motivate the vehicle. Of course, we could attenuate that by building more nuclear power plants, which produce reliable, clean, high-energy-density output - but the green energy/climate scolds don't want new nuclear power.
Now - as we may well have suspected - we learn that the average EV user actually has a higher carbon footprint than the average internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle driver.
And, as should come as a surprise to no one, this is in part due to virtue-signaling wealthy folks and their lavish lifestyles.
Electric cars have slowly but surely become the ultimate status symbol for Hollywood's eco-minded elite, with everyone from Robert Downey Jr. to Kim Kardashian jumping on the trend.
But scientists now say that getting behind the wheel of an electric vehicle (EV) doesn't make these celebs as green as they might like to think.
Researchers from the University of Turku, Finland, found that on average EV drivers actually have a bigger carbon footprint than drivers who own petrol or diesel cars.
While their cars might cut down on emissions, the researchers say that EV owners' glitzier lifestyles mean they contribute more to climate changeoverall.
The average EV owner churns out half a tonne more CO2 per year with owners of the sportiest models producing almost two tonnes more pollution.
Have a look at the graphic. Sorry, it's not a Venn diagram; sorry, Kamala Harris, if I've disappointed you.
— Ward Clark (@TheGreatLander) October 20, 2024
Now, it's important to note here that these findings are from a survey of Finnish people. American celebrities weren't included, and these results don't count the massive carbon footprints of jet-setting movie stars.
The researchers surveyed almost 4,000 Finnish people about their car ownership, background and lifestyle.
The participants also provided answers about their housing, transport, and purchasing habits to estimate their carbon footprint.
Overall, someone who owned an internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV) which runs on petrol or diesel created 8.05 tonnes of CO2 or equivalent greenhouse gases per year.
It's a safe bet that there are far fewer glitzy mega-celebrities in Finland than in the United States, although I suspect wealthy Finns are no less liable to virtue-signal than wealthy Americans - and are also likely to live in more luxurious digs. What the heck - that goes with wealth, and there's no reason to deride someone simply for living in a nice house, but there is reason to point and laugh at the hypocrisy of someone living in said fancy house who is lecturing the rest of us about climate change and our carbon footprints.
People like Leonardo DiCaprio, whose mega-yacht puts out more carbon than 1,500 ICE automobiles. Or people like Lady Gaga, with her massive Malibu mansion. Or the jet-setting Robert Downey Jr., who made a show of converting old cars to EVs, even while buzzing around the globe in private jets. In point of fact, the one percent most wealthy people on the planet produce more carbon than the poorest 66 percent; not that we would begrudge them that were it not for the climate-scold finger-wagging and the hypocrisy that drives it.
There's more to the study; as we get into the details, we learn that the study of Finns uncovered two types of EV drivers: those concerned primarily with economy and those concerned primarily with performance. I'm given to understand that EVs can be peppy, as electric motors are quick to respond to the throttle and have plenty of usable torque. But, there's another complication; the "performance" EV drivers still produce, on average, a higher carbon footprint than ICE drivers, while the "economy" EV drivers can claim to put out a tad less - see the chart above.
But this doesn't take into account the carbon cost of generating the electricity - or producing the batteries, which require large amounts of metal often obtained from questionable places.
Until there are significant advances in battery technology, and until we start building serious numbers of new, modern, safe, and clean nuclear power plants, electric vehicles will remain as they are - a niche product and a virtue-signal for the well-off. That's fine. People can drive what they please as long as they pay for it themselves. And no doubt carbon-spewing celebrities will keep wagging their fingers at the rest of us. That's also fine.
We can easily ignore them.
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